PBS News Hour - Politics

Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks join Judy Woodruff to discuss the week in politics, including the biggest revelations and most compelling characters from impeachment hearings, whether they will change voters' minds about impeachment, how 2020 Democrats performed in their fifth debate and President Trump's moves on military justice.

In the week's final day of public impeachment hearings, Dr. Fiona Hill, the former National Security Council senior director for Europe and Russia, and David Holmes, the political affairs counselor at the U.S. embassy in Ukraine, testified to the House. Lisa Desjardins, Yamiche Alcindor and Nick Schifrin join Judy Woodruff to discuss how the information they shared filled in the gaps.

Let's take a broader view of all the testimony in this week's public impeachment hearings. Leon Panetta was chief of staff under former President Bill Clinton and later served as director of the CIA and secretary of defense under former President Obama. Former Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., served as one of the House managers for Clinton's impeachment trial. They join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Ten candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination met on stage Wednesday night for their fifth debate of the campaign. But in Atlanta, nearly a thousand miles from the impeachment inquiry on Capitol Hill, that was still the first topic discussed. Meanwhile, Pete Buttigieg faced questions about his experience, and former Vice President Joe Biden about his record. Amna Nawaz reports.

Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union, testified to the House Wednesday that there was a quid pro quo with Ukraine and that he followed President Trump's orders to work with Rudy Giuliani. Sondland also implicated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence in a pressure campaign. Nick Schifrin, Yamiche Alcindor and Lisa Desjardins join Judy Woodruff to discuss.

The Trump administration quickly pushed back on the claims of Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland that Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, among others, were aware of Sondland's efforts to get Ukraine to open an investigation into the Bidens. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump, joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

The House Judiciary Committee would hold hearings on impeachment after the House Intelligence Committee concludes theirs. Do those Democrats feel they have enough evidence to move forward with articles of impeachment for President Trump? Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., is a member of that committee, and he joins Judy Woodruff to discuss what Ambassador Gordon Sondland said.

The fifth debate among candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination is taking place Wednesday night in Atlanta. Since the most recent previous debate, the top tier of candidates has remained largely consistent -- but Pete Buttigieg has experienced a surge in Iowa polls that may open him up to increased scrutiny from his competitors. Amna Nawaz joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.

Tuesday marked a significant day in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, as officials on the July 25th phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy testified in open hearings for the first time. Lisa Desjardins, Nick Schifrin and Yamiche Alcindor join Amna Nawaz to discuss the day's highlights, including a personal attack on a witness in the middle of testifying.

The House Judiciary Committee is ultimately responsible for deciding if impeachment charges will be brought against President Trump. Republican Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana is a member of that committee, and he joins Amna Nawaz to discuss why he is frustrated with the impeachment inquiry proceedings so far and whether he thinks the president should answer questions about his Ukraine dealings.